1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medical procedure support system and method for supporting a medical procedure by creating virtual image data relating to a subject and based on the virtual image data.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, diagnoses using images have been widely performed. Three-dimensional virtual image data of an internal part of a subject is obtained by picking up tomographic images of the subject by, for example, an X-ray CT (Computed Tomography) apparatus. An affected part has been diagnosed by using the virtual image data.
In the CT apparatus, the apparatus for irradiating and detecting the X-ray is continuously rotated while the subject is continuously fed in the body axis direction. Thus, a helical continuous scan can be performed with respect to the three-dimensional area in the subject, and a three-dimensional virtual image can be created on the basis of tomographic images of continuous slices of the three-dimensional area.
A three-dimensional image of the bronchi of the lung is one of those three-dimensional images. A three-dimensional image of the bronchi is used for three-dimensionally locating an abnormal part, which may have a lung cancer, for example. In order to check an abnormal part by performing a biopsy, a sample of a tissue is taken by using a biopsy needle or biopsy forceps projecting from the distal part of a bronchi endoscope inserted to the body.
When the abnormal part is located close to the end of a branch, it is hard for the distal end of the endoscope to reach a target part quickly and precisely in a tract in the body having multiple branches. Accordingly, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-135215 discloses an apparatus for navigating a bronchi endoscope to a target part. In the apparatus, a three-dimensional image of the tract in the subject is created on the basis of the image data of the three-dimensional area of the subject, and a path to a target point along the tract on the three-dimensional image is obtained. Further, a virtual endoscopic image (called virtual image, hereinafter) of the tract along the path is created on the basis of the image data and the virtual image is displayed.
Furthermore, conventionally, image analysis software has been in practical use which may be used for a diagnosis of an internal organ of an abdominal area serving as a subject by creating a three-dimensional virtual image of the subject mainly in the abdominal area and displaying the three-dimensional virtual image.
An image system using this kind of image analysis software is used by a doctor for performing a diagnosis for grasping a change in a lesion of a subject in an abdominal area, for example, of a patient before a surgery by viewing a virtual image thereof, which is generally performed outside of an operation room such as a conference room.